A New Hope
by Katuriin
Summary: Taz/Up- Taz is sent on a dangerous mission to a planet to help retrieve lost data. But, months later is reported MIA. Up is determined to go back to find her.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN STARSHIP.**

This is my second Starship fiction. I plan on making a second chapter to this story, so please stay tuned for it. (: Reviews are loved.

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><p>It started with one sentence. One sentence that seemed to take Commander Up's heart out of his chest and beat it to a nice little pulp.<p>

_Lieutenant Taz was reported MIA._

Well, _technically _it started about six months before that. Lieutenant Taz was assigned to a dangerous mission. They only took the best on this mission. There was a planet with known to have dangerous natives, but no ranger had ever lived to be able to properly describe them. All that was known about their appearance is that they had four eyes and four claws to match them.

Their mission was to retrieve a bag that had been left behind from a Starship Ranger before. It had vital information about the planet in it.

They had not signed Up for the mission as well because he had just returned from a shorter mission not too long ago.

The day of the mission he walked into Taz's room to wish her luck. He knocked a few times. His knocking was greeted by, "_Venido adentro_." He swung the door open to see Taz simply sitting on the side of her bed in her usual get-up. Her small bag was packed beside her. Her brown eyes were set on the wall in front of her. After knowing Taz for so many years, he knew this was usual for her before a mission. Said its her way of "cleaning her mind" and readying herself for what was to come. "_Que Pasa?"_

Commander Up walked over to the smaller women and sat on the side of her that her bag was not on. He smiled at her, "I just wanted to wish you luck on your mission. I know that you'll kick some major ass." _And I just wanted to see you before you left for dead God knows how long. _

Taz had the smallest hint of a smile playing at the sides of her lips. "_Gracias, _Up." She nodded a little. "Have they got you planned for any missions anytime soon?"

Up shook his head. "No, they're wanting to rotate around the Commanders and give the ones who are training a chance to go on a mission. So, I guess that leaves me training new recruits." He gave a small shrug.

Taz chuckled, "Oh, you're going to love that, aren't you?" she asked. She knew how much the Commander hated training new people; he didn't have enough patience for it.

He simply sighed and rolled his eyes. "Sure I will." He then became more serious. "Taz, you know how dangerous this mission is, right? You know it doesn't need to be taken lightly?"

Taz looked at the older man like he was insane. "_Idiota. _Do you think I'm _estupido? _ Of course I know it's dangerous. But, I relish the danger," she said with a playful smile. One thing he had learned about Taz over the years was that she _seemed _her happiest in the most risky and life-threating battles. She seemed to bask in the adrenaline pumping moments. And of course, she shined during them.

He shook his head at her with a small laugh, "Yes, yes. I shouldn't have even said anything." He smiled, thinking of what to say to her. Looking her over, he noted to himself (not for the first time) how small her figure was. Maybe that's how she was such a danger to the things she fought- they didn't expect something so large from something so small.

So many things hovered on the top of his mind that he wanted to tell her, but with every thing, he could think of a way she could shoot it down. Besides, it wasn't like he wasn't not going her again- she went on missions without him all the time. So, he merely stood, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Good luck, again, Taz." He gave her a warm smile and walked out of her room.

Taz watched as the man left the room. Lately between them if seemed as if things were left unspoken. But, maybe she was just overthinking things.

Of course Commander Up watched as the starship that Taz was on took liftoff. He wouldn't have been anywhere else. He saluted along with all of the other Starship Rangers. She was on Starship _New Hope_. "Dead God Speed, _New Hope," _he said loud enough for some of the other Commanders around him to hear. Some echoed him.

_Dead God Speed, Taz._

6 months later.

**Starship _New Hope _now docking…**

Commander stood to his feet when he heard this over the radio in his room. He had not been able to make it to any meetings about their mission since training kept him busy, but he would not miss this.

He walked out of his bedroom to began walking to the ship dock, but the Commander who did the overseeing of the mission from the ground pulled him to the side.

"Commander Rosa, good day to you. Can I help you?" he asked politely.

Rosa gave him a smile, but her smile did not seem genuine. It seemed like their was a sadness hiding behind it. "You were very partial to Lieutenant Taz, were you not?"

Up was slightly surprised, but did not pretend to deny it. "Yes."

She bit her lip. Up always thought that Rosa was a good Commander. She had many qualities you did not find in many commanders- such as compassion. But she also had the ones you need to succeed as a commander- such as the ability to be hard as stone when needed. "You were not able to attend any of the meetings about the Starship _New Hope_'s mission were you?" Up shook his head, wondering where she was going with this and why she looked so concerned. She took a deep breath and rested her hands on Up's shoulders. "Well, _New Hope_'s mission had to be cut short because the on-board Commander was killed, along with several of his rangers. Only two rangers survived to come back. They were able to give us a list of the dead bodies that they saw when I commanded them to pull back. All of the dead is accounted for, expect for Lieutenant Taz."

The more and more Commander Rosa spoke, the heavier his heart became. "…What are you trying to say?" he asked slowly.

"Lieutenant Taz was reported MIA."

Up closed his eyes and steadied him against the nearest wall. "M-missing?"

"Yes, Commander Up. Ranger Brendon called it in as he was tending to the other surviving ranger's wounds."

Taz. Taz was missing. Up tried to comprehend the information he was just told. But as hard as he tried to, he just couldn't.

Hours later, Commander Up found Ranger Brendon boasting with his war stories to some younger rangers. "Recruit Brendon!" he cried out. The younger rangers took one look at the Commander and split.

"Y-yes sir?" he answered. The ranger knew the commander would speak him with sooner or later. It just so happened to be sooner.

He got closer to the ranger, closer than the ranger would've liked. "Why was the Lieutenant left behind since you did not spot her body?"

"Our orders were to pull back and leave the planet, sir. Besides, all of the rangers were dead, even the Commander. We cried out for Lieutenant Taz, but we got no answer. We both came to the conclusion that she was dead, like the rest of them."

Up opened his mouth again to speak, but was cut off by Rosa, "Commander Up, leave the ranger alone, he needs to rest." Up looked over at the women who spoke. He took another look at Brendon, and then walked away.

"We have to send a ship back to the planet to look for her," the gray haired man said to the women across the table. "Rosa, you're still in charge of the mission, the mission has not yet been dismissed. Let me get a team to go back and look for her."

Commander Rosa shook her head. "I'm sorry, Up. I can't do that. It's far too dangerous. We cannot risk any more rangers' lives for one ranger."

Up was beginning to get angry. "Taz is _not _just a ranger. She's a damned good ranger, probably one of the best we've had."

Rosa sighed, "I agree with you, Up. But we just cannot risk it."

Up let out a frustrated cry and hit the nearest wall. Rosa closed her eyes and shook her head, but said nothing.

Up glared at the women for a moment, his blue eyes meeting her green, then turned and left after saying, "This isn't over, Rosa."

A few days later, Up had been notified of the mass funeral for the fallen Rangers, so he dressed nice, going to pay his respects. When they said they had taken the best with them, they really had. Up had gone on several missions with some of those men.

So, there he sat, in one of the uncomfortable chairs listening to someone drown on about their strong character and bravery. He then began to read off the names. He perked up when Taz's name was read. He stood quickly. "No."

The man reading the names paused and looked up quickly, "Excuse me?"

"Lieutenant Taz was never confirmed dead."

The man glared at him, "Commander Up, please take a seat."

Up looked around at him at everyone staring at him. "This is bullshit," he yelled, promptly leaving to his quarters.

Somewhere on a far off planet, Lieutenant Taz woke to her third week stranded on the alien planet.


	2. Chapter 2

**ONCE AGAIN, DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN STARSHIP. **

Please enjoy part two of my two part fanfiction. Thank you for your kind reviews, and I look forward to more.**  
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><p>Taz rubbed her eyes, sitting up in the cave she temporarily called home. She ran her hand through her black hair, telling herself it needed a wash.<p>

She had given much thought to how she would get back to base, but had no luck. Her emergency communicator had been broken during the battle. How could those idiots leave her behind? She watched the Commander fall, so she leaped to avenge him by taking out the alien that had taken him down. She got knocked back off her feet into some nearby bushes and rendered unconscious by the impact. When she woke and found out that they were gone, she sought refuge in a nearby cave.

Food was easy enough; on the planet there were many species of small mammals, just like there had been on earth. She used her knife to kill them, preserving her zapper's juice for if she ever really needed it. She knew that she'd be here for a while.

Commander up walked through a main hall bitterly looking at the pictures on them. Usually, when there was a mission where numerous rangers died, they'd post a framed picture of them in the hall for a few weeks in memorial where people could come and pay their respects. He stared at the one of Taz for a few minutes. She stood in her battle outfit, arms crossed, staring down the camera. She did not enjoy pictures. He shook his head, resisting the urge to rip the photo off the wall. Taz wasn't dead- it couldn't be possible. He wouldn't allow himself to believe it. Not yet.

2 years later:

The mission of _New Hope _had long been dismissed. Commander Up threw himself into the training, showing no mercy to the new recruits. Some would argue that they no longer saw him crack a smile.

One day, in the cafeteria, he over heard a young male ranger; "I hear he's still a wreck over that Lieutenant who disappeared two years ago- pathetic."

He turned on a heel, pushing the ranger against the wall. "You better fucking watch your mouth boy," he said through gritted teeth. The boy looked at him with fear in his eyes and nodded, "Y-yes sir."

Up continued to glare at him, and then finally let him go where the boy proceeded to tumble to the ground. Up simply walked away without looking back.

Taz had to venture further and further away from the cave to find mammals for food. They were learning not to stray close to the cave, so she had to go to them.

This meant venturing into the forest like area to the right of the cave. Today she was further than she'd ever been in the forest. She felt the cool breeze pick her hair up. On the planet, it was difficult to tell the difference between night and day, so she judged the time by how much her hair had grown. Her hair, once short, was now where her shoulder blades ended. She didn't like the length, but she did like having some idea of how long she'd been there.

She stopped walking when she spotted something very alien to this planet. It was a Starship Ranger bag. It looked tattered and torn, but still recognizable. She knew immediately what it was. She set aside the hunting and lifted it off the ground gently, taking it back to the cave to examine.

"Commander, it's been two years, you have to let her go," Rosa told him gently, laying a hand on his shoulder.

He angrily moved his shoulder away from her grasp. "Rosa, I don't know what you're talking about."

Rosa frowned. "Yes you do. After two years, you still have not set your mind at peace with Lieutenant Taz's disappearance. It's been affecting your performance since you first found out."

Up shook his head, "You're mistaken," he said simply, leaving her.

Taz began digging through the bag once she got it to her cave. She found the files that they had been there in the first place for and set them to the side, continuing to dig. Then she found what she hoped would be there, the ranger's emergency communicator. She looked it over, it looked a little beat up, but hopefully, combined with some parts from her broken one, she could get it working in a day or so.

So walked to her own bag, pulling out her ruined communicator and got to work.

The Commander sat on his bed, not wanting to go to the weakly meeting, but sighed and gave in. He stood and glanced at himself in the mirror, making sure he was presentable.

He opened his door and walked towards the meeting room.

Mid-day the next day she smiled with accomplishment. She felt like she was done, it began to make a buzzing noise. "Time to test it out," she whispered. It wasn't in the best of shape and looked pretty much like it had been pieced together- but that's basically what had happened.

She sighed, mentally crossing her fingers, praying to dead God that it worked. She pressed the button and began to speak.

The Commander who was speaking paused when he heard a noise coming from the radio in the corner. He glanced over at it, everyone now silent. There was no starships currently out on a mission, so everyone was slightly confused.

"Lieutenant Taz to base. Lieutenant Taz to base." The reception was making the voice crack, but it was still audible.

Up, who was sitting at the table, looked at the radio with wide eyes. His heart seemed to stop in his chest. Rosa stood quickly, looking at Up. She gestured him to the radio.

He stood and walked briskly to it. He cleared his throat, unsure if his voice would work. "G-go ahead, Lieutenant Taz."

He heard her voice falter; she immediately recognized the voice addressing her. "After two years stranded on the alien planet that _New Hope _had been sent to as a mission, I found the bag that we had been sent here to find. I have all of the files and found an old emergency communicator. I pieced it with parts from my own broken one. I am requesting immediate rescue." Her voice was as strong as ever and still so full of determination.

He thought for a moment, looking over at the other Commanders, he motioned to one of them to get a team together quickly. "Roger. We are getting a team together as I speak. We will get your location from your emergency call. We will be there as soon as we can, Taz… O-over." his voice began to waver a little. He gave a small sigh. The line died.

As his legs shook, he grabbed a nearby chair and sat in it. Taz was… alive.

With a sigh of relief, Taz laid down the radio. She was going to get off these damned planet- finally. She knew by _immediate _rescue it would be _at least _a week- that'd be with the Starship going at maximum speed. But, that didn't matter. She was leaving. Finally.

Commander Up walked to the boarding deck, seeing rangers lined up outside the Starship _Ripple. _One ranger spoke up, "Commander Up, all of the Rangers are ready but we do not have a Commander because all of the Commanders were in the meeting when the mission was-"

Up cut him off by gently pushing him out of the way and saying, "Get in the ship. I'm the Commander. We are leaving in ten minutes."

"B-but, we have no Lieutenant…Who is our Lieutenant?"

Up glared at the young boy, "Taz. Lieutenant Taz."

5 days later:

Taz slowly blinked her eyes open. She stretched slightly. She stood up, she didn't have to look at herself to know how she looked. The only baths she had been able to take was in a nearby lake, but she didn't do it often because she didn't trust the water. She slowly braided her black hair into a tight braid so it didn't look as greasy as it was.

She made everything was packed away where it was easy to carry. There was her small bag, and then the tattered ranger's bag. She sat at the edge of cave entrance like she had done for the past few days.

She was about to drift off she when heard the noise of rockets. Starship rockets. Her eyes flew open and she stood, the wind from the engine causing her braid to flow like a flag in the wind.

"Landing now, Commander. A human is spotted," the ranger at the controls stated.

"Identify her," he said, suiting up. It was simple. Him and one other ranger would go out and get her. Up would stay with Taz while the other ranger ran behind them, watching.

"Darker skin, long black hair…" he started.

_Long? _He asked himself. He then went to controls himself, looking at the view. Sure enough, the girl on the ground had a longish braid. But- it was no doubt Taz. "It's her, just hurry up and land this damn thing."

After a few moments, the ship jerked slightly as it landed. The other ranger ran to his side and gave him a nod to show he was ready. "What's you name, kid?"

"Ranger Perry," he said with a nervous smile.

He patted the boy on the shoulder, "Well, Ranger Perry, let's go rescue a Lieutenant."

Taz smiled slightly when she saw two Rangers emerging from the landed Starship. The side of the ship read _Ripple. _Her smile grew when she saw that one of the Rangers was Up. She picked up the two bag and walked towards them as they sprinted towards her.

When they reached her, Up took one of the bags in her hand, her put his other hand on her back, leading her to the ship.

They were almost to the ship when they heard the squeal of one of the aliens. They turned in time to see it inches from Taz. She caught her breath, closing her eyes, not enough time to grab for her laser. Nothing. Then a scream. A male scream- but not as deep as Up's. She opened her eyes to see the young ranger thrown to the side.

"Perry!" Up yelled after him, running to him.

Taz's eyes grew with fury, that boy just saved her and he didn't even know her. She pulled her zapper to the front, the same zapper she hadn't used in two years. She set it to maximum power and fired at the alien. The alien, since it was pointblank range, blew up. It's guts flew everywhere with an ear piercing screech.

She then, wiping her face off, ran to where Up was. "Is he okay?"

As if in answer to her question, the boy moaned, sitting up.

Up smiled, "Just shaken is all.: Up stood, offering his hand to the kid.

When they finally arrived in the starship, and after Up paged headquarters, Up walked over to where Taz was sitting. She then stood when she saw him. Up began to walk towards her. She smiled, "Trust me, you _don't _want to hug me."

He gave a smile, "No… no I don't." She was confused… until he reached under her chin, pulling her head up. He met his lips with hers. She was taken aback at first, her eyes wide. But after a few moments, she closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss, resting her hand on Up's chest. Up then pulled away.

Taz looked at him with confusion.

"Don't ever scare me like that, again, Lieutenant Taz, and that's an order…" he said with a bright smile on his face.


End file.
